Stroller Biathlon

I've invented a new Olympic sport: stroller biathlon! This sport consists of jogging with a double jogging stroller (because that is harder than a single) and stopping at intervals to shovel. The shoveling mainly consists of path widening and cutting through the giant mountains of snow at intersections. This is the newest and most inspired step thus far of recovering my workouts from the 3+ ft of snow in the last couple of weeks.

(SNOWMAGEDDON BEGINS)
Step 1: Shovel instead of the regular workout.
(THERE ARE BREAKS BETWEEN BLIZZARDS.)
Step 2: Trainer in the garage and Step aerobics in the basement.
(ROADS NAVIGABLE FOR 4X4.)
Step 3: Treadmill at the gym.
(BEGIN TO CLEAR SIDEWALKS AND PATHS BETWEEN OUR HOUSE AND SCHOOL.)
Step 4: Baby in the backpack. (Though this requires all the other kids to walk, there is so much pent up energy by now, they can keep up.)
(SCHOOL IS BACK IN SESSION AND SNOW BEGINS TO MELT.)
Step 5: Stroller Biathlon!!!!

It would have been cooler if I had the shovel strapped to my back like a rifle, but I actually just carried the kids' small plastic shovel in the under-stroller basket. What needs to happen next to clear my path requires a saw, so I'm weighing the pros and cons of bring a saw with us tomorrow. Hmmm...

City Strolling

I had the chance to try out the Baby Jogger City Mini last weekend. Don't be misled that this is a jogging stroller for any significant speed or distance, but it was great for going around town. First, it folds up so small that it easily fit in the back of a closet. The wheels are not inflatable so you don't have to worry about flats, but there is still a good harness, unlike an umbrella stroller. My kids can squirm out of those in no time flat.

The swivel front wheel and tiny tires that I complain about for suburban jogging proved invaluable for the shimmy between inner and outer doors and making side-to-side maneuvers while going up curbs. I jogged briefly. The swivel wheel gets a little wiggly, but the bigger problem is that the handlebar is very narrow. Perhaps a perfect candidate for healthy handles!

Crazy - Not Reckless

I returned from a recent weekend away with a new Baby Jogger Performance Double! I was totally psyched since all indications are that this should be a big upgrade from my Dreamer Design. It does appear to be mechanically superior to the Dreamer Design - or at least more robust, but there was a hitch when I got it all put together for our maiden voyage: 6 inches of snow on the ground. Now a little snow isn't going to stop me, so we head out only to find that the sidewalk is much too bumpy from the frozen footprints so we had to return to our starting point on the shoulder of the road and proceed with the Plan B route. As we are jogging back, running against traffic with NO oncoming cars at this time, a woman driving a minivan decides to "help" me by stopping her vehicle in the middle of a curve opposite me to tell me that, "If I were you, I would find somewhere else to run."

Gee! Really? Because I LOVE jogging on the road while the gravel shoulder is covered with 6 inches of snow plus the detritus from the plow! And certainly I didn't look first to make certain that there were no oncoming cars for this very short section before I turn into my street. Thanks lady.

So, I ran only once with my new Baby Jogger and then we got pummeled with snow. There is a solid 3 feet on the ground even after a couple melting days and drifts are even higher. Roads are narrow and paths are buried, so I'll have to get creative. Unfortunately or fortunately (I'm not sure) some roads are totally clear which means I really can't put the stroller on skis.

In the meantime, my one-year-old seems to be suffering from stroller withdrawal. She climbed right up today and happily sat to watch my husband ride the bike trainer in the garage.